Making Fresh Pasta

Pasta Dough

3 cups of flour (half semolina, half all purpose)

6 eggs at room temperature

A teaspoon of salt

On a marble surface, pour flour and make a circle with your hands, carving out the flour in the center.  Put eggs in the center and using a fork, slowly stir in flour.  Once all the flour is absorbed, roll into a ball but do not knead very much.  Place the pasta dough into a bowl that is rubbed with olive oil.  Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

If you do not have a pasta machine, this will require a delicate hand as your roll out the dough with your rolling pin.  Have a broomstick standing by between a couple of chairs and cover it with linen towels (to put the fresh dough on to dry).  Roll out the dough into long, layers and lay each one over the linen to dry for about fifteen minutes. 

When the dough is dry, cut into fettucini.

If you have a pasta machine, cut the dough into pieces to feed the machine.  Using the setting that is widest, run the dough through the machine twice through the rollers.  Then set the machine to 5 and run the dough through again.  You must flour the machine constantly so the dough won't stick.  Put the long pieces of flattened dough onto the linen to dry and then set the machine to the setting that cuts the dough into fettucini.  Put the cut pasta on a linen towel and allow to dry until cooking time.

If using a machine like a Kitchenaide, follow manufacturer's directions to roll out and cut the dough.

Dough can be frozen.